Posts Tagged ‘CEO’
What Percentage Of Silicon Valley Startups Ever Make A Profit?
I was talking to a friend of mine who had recently sold his company for $300M. He said to me, “Brett, I’ve never been involved in a company that made a profit.” And I would bet over 95% of all startups, including the ones that have gone public, are never profitable. Just look at this…
Read MoreHow Can I Get A Fortune 500 Executive To Be An Advisor?
A person is not great just because they are a COO or a CEO. They are no better or smarter than you are. That being said, treat this person (and all people) with respect. Let me give you two simple tips for how to reach out to a potential mentor: A. You have to give…
Read MoreWhat Moral Obligations Do CEOs Have To Their Employees?
Thank you again, ideal employee, on everything you continue doing. We could not achieve what we want without you. I asked you to be loyal, be a positive force, do your best always, recruit your friends, have the company’s best interest always in mind, own up to your mistakes, don’t wait to tell us about…
Read MoreShould I Work With My Best Friend As A Cofounder?
I had a very close friend who was a co-founder of my company. Here’s what happened: “You have an EQ of zero!” Ken yelled at me. “What the hell is an EQ?” I asked. “Perfect!” Ken screamed back. Then he hung up the phone. Those were the last words Ken ever said to me. Just…
Read MoreWhen Should I Hire A COO?
I added a COO as a cofounder to my company. He was talented, had tons of experience and knowledge, and he helped me secure funding. There was just one little problem with having a Chief Operations Officer in a startup, especially an early stage startup. And that problem is… Startups, especially early stage startups, don’t…
Read MoreIs It Good To Approach Multiple Investors At The Same Time?
YES! Absolutely go to multiple VCs in parallel. I was fortunate to be an Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) at a leading Bay Area VC. I learned something very important: A VC will invest in one company for every 100 face-to-face meetings a partner takes. The only fighting chance you have is pursuing multiple investors. My…
Read MoreWhat Are Some Good Questions To Ask A Potential Cofounder?
I had known and worked with one of my co-founders for over twenty years. Two of my co-founders came through recommendations of other co-founders. Another co-founder and I worked together and had known each other for about nine years. The one thing all my co-founders had in common was they all came through trusted sources.…
Read MoreLearn How Using Empathy Gets The Ultimate From Your Team
“There are a lot of negotiators that really will give in on a deal because being understood is more important than getting what they want.” Chris Voss, the FBI’s former lead hostage negotiator said. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] In fact, the first thing master-negotiator Voss teaches…
Read MoreWhat Do VCs Look For In A Pitch?
Reid Hoffman, founder of LinkedIn and VC at Greylock, has a great post on pitching What I Wish I Knew Before Pitching LinkedIn to VCs. My own two cents based on my experience is: A. Think visually. VC’s like graphics, not text, so don’t overload your presentation with text. B. Grab your audience in the…
Read MoreDoes It Mean My Pitch Is Bad If I’ve Lost Several Pitching Contests?
I had to meet with 64 VCs before we were able to raise our Series A funding of $12M. The number of VC meetings was well over 100. But, when you realize that the ratio of face-to-face meetings to investment for VCs is somewhere around 100:1, you realize that you (as an entrepreneur) have to…
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